Don Knotts The Andy Griffith Show What show did he star in Andy Griffith was offered the opportunity to headline his own sitcom, The Andy Griffith Show When did the show run for 1960-1968 How did knotts fit into the show Knotts took the role of Barney Fife, the deputy--and originally cousin--of Sheriff Andy Taylor (portrayed by Griffith Did he win awards for the show Knotts's portrayal of the deputy on the popular show earned him five Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Comedy, What did he win the awards three awards for the first five seasons that he played the character.
What did people say about his character
What did people say about Knotts' character on The Andy Griffith Show?
In 1960, Andy Griffith was offered the opportunity to headline his own sitcom, The Andy Griffith Show (1960-1968). Knotts took the role of Barney Fife, the deputy--and originally cousin--of Sheriff Andy Taylor (portrayed by Griffith). Knotts's portrayal of the deputy on the popular show earned him five Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Comedy, three awards for the first five seasons that he played the character.  A summary of the show from the website of the Museum of Broadcast Communications describes Deputy Barney Fife:  Self-important, romantic, and nearly always wrong, Barney dreamed of the day he could use the one bullet Andy had issued to him, though he did fire his gun on a few occasions. He always fired his pistol accidentally while still in his holster or in the ceiling of the court house, at which point he would sadly hand his pistol to Andy. This is why Barney kept his one very shiny bullet in his shirt pocket. In episode #196, Andy gave Barney more bullets so that he would have a loaded gun to go after a bad guy that Barney unintentionally helped escape. While Barney was forever frustrated that Mayberry was too small for the delusional ideas he had of himself, viewers got the sense that he couldn't have survived anywhere else. Don Knotts played the comic and pathetic sides of the character with equal aplomb and he received three Emmy Awards during the show's first five seasons.  When the show first aired, Griffith was intended to be the comedic lead with Knotts as his straight man, similar to their roles in No Time for Sergeants. However, it was quickly discovered that the show was funnier with the roles reversed. As Griffith maintained in several interviews, "By the second episode, I knew that Don should be funny, and I should play straight."  Knotts believed remarks by Griffith that The Andy Griffith Show would end after five seasons, and he began to look for other work, signing a five-film contract with Universal Studios. He was caught off guard when Griffith announced that he would continue the show after all, but Knotts's hands were tied. In his autobiography, Knotts admitted that he had not yet signed a contract when Griffith announced his decision; but he had made up his mind to move on, believing he would not get the chance again. Knotts left the series in 1965. His character's absence on the show was explained by Deputy Fife's having finally made the "big time," joining the Raleigh, North Carolina police force. CANNOTANSWER
A summary of the show from the website of the Museum of Broadcast Communications describes Deputy Barney Fife:
Jesse Donald Knotts (July 21, 1924February 24, 2006) was an American actor and comedian. He is widely known for his role as Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show, a 1960s sitcom for which he earned five Emmy Awards. He also played Ralph Furley on the highly rated sitcom Three's Company from 1979 to 1984. He starred in multiple comedic films, including the leading roles in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966) and The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964). In 1979, TV Guide ranked him number 27 on its 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time list.

Early life 
Jesse Donald Knotts was born on July 21, 1924, in Morgantown, West Virginia, the youngest of four sons born to farmer William Jesse Knotts and his wife, Elsie Luzetta Knotts (née Moore). His parents were married in Spraggs, Pennsylvania. His English paternal ancestors emigrated to America in the 17th century, originally settling in Queen Anne's County, Maryland. Knotts' brothers were named Willis, William, and Ralph "Sid".

Don's mother was 40 at the time of his birth and his father suffered from mental illness. Afflicted with schizophrenia and alcoholism, he sometimes terrorized Don with a knife, causing Don to turn inward at an early age. The elder Knotts died of pneumonia when Don was 13 years old. Don and his brothers were then raised by their mother, who ran a boarding house in Morgantown. She died in 1969 at age 84. Her son William preceded her in death in 1941 at age 31. They are buried in the family plot at Beverly Hills Memorial Park in Morgantown. 

Don graduated from Morgantown High School. After enlisting in the United States Army and serving in World War II, Don earned a bachelor's degree in education with a minor in speech from West Virginia University in Morgantown, graduating in 1948.  He was a member of Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity and Alpha Psi Omega Honor Society while at WVU.

Career

Early career 
Before he entered high school, Knotts began performing as a ventriloquist and comedian at various church and school functions. After high school, he traveled to New York City to try to make his way as a comedian but returned home to attend West Virginia University when his career failed to take off. After his college freshman year, Knotts joined the U.S. Army and spent most of his service entertaining troops. He toured the western Pacific Islands as a comedian as part of a G.I. variety show called "Stars and Gripes". His ventriloquist act in "Stars and Gripes" included a dummy named Danny, which Knotts grew to hate, eventually throwing it overboard according to his friend and castmate, Al Checco.

Knotts served in the U.S. Army from June 21, 1943, to January 6, 1946, in the Army's 6817th Special Services Battalion. He was discharged at the rank of Technician Grade 5, which was the equivalent then of a corporal. During his military service, Knotts was awarded the World War II Victory Medal, the Philippine Liberation Medal, the Asiatic–Pacific Campaign Medal (with 4 bronze service stars), the American Campaign Medal, the Army Good Conduct Medal, the Army Marksman Badge (with an M1 Carbine) and the Honorable Service Lapel Pin.

Knotts returned to West Virginia University after being demobilized and graduated in 1948. He married Kay Metz and moved back to New York, where connections he had made while in the Special Services Branch helped him break into show business. In addition to doing stand-up comedy at clubs, he appeared on the radio, eventually playing the wisecracking, know-it-all character "Windy Wales" on a radio Western called "Bobby Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders".

Knotts got his first major break on television in the soap opera Search for Tomorrow where he appeared from 1953 to 1955. He came to fame in 1956 on Steve Allen's variety show, as part of Allen's repertory company, most notably in Allen's mock "Man in the Street" interviews, always as an extremely nervous man. He remained with the Allen program through the 1959–1960 season. From October 20, 1955, through September 14, 1957, Knotts appeared in the Broadway play version of No Time for Sergeants, in which he played two roles, listed on the playbill as a Corporal Manual Dexterity and a Preacher. In 1958, Knotts appeared for the first time on film with Andy Griffith in the film version of No Time for Sergeants. In that film, Knotts reprised his Broadway role and played a high-strung Air Force test administrator whose routine is disrupted by the hijinks of a provincial new recruit.

The Andy Griffith Show 

In 1960, Andy Griffith was offered the opportunity to headline his own sitcom, The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968). Knotts took the role of Barney Fife, the deputy—and originally cousin—of Sheriff Andy Taylor (portrayed by Griffith). Knotts's portrayal of the deputy on the popular show earned him five Emmy Awards for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Comedy.

A summary of the show from the website of the Museum of Broadcast Communications describes Deputy Barney Fife:

When the show first aired, Griffith was intended to be the comedic lead with Knotts as his straight man, similar to their roles in No Time for Sergeants. However, it was quickly discovered that the show was funnier with the roles reversed. As Griffith maintained in several interviews, "By the second episode, I knew that Don should be funny, and I should play straight."

Knotts believed remarks by Griffith that The Andy Griffith Show would end after five seasons, and he began to look for other work, signing a five-film contract with Universal Studios. In his autobiography, Knotts admitted that he had not yet signed the contract when Griffith announced his decision to continue the series; but he had made up his mind to move on, believing he would not get the chance again. Knotts left the series in 1965. His character's absence on the show was explained by Deputy Fife's having finally made the "big time," joining the Raleigh, North Carolina, police force.

Post-Mayberry film career 

Knotts went on to star in a series of film comedies that drew on his high-strung persona from the television series: he had a cameo appearance in United Artists' It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963), and starred in Warner Bros.' The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964). Knotts then began his Universal five-film contract with The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966), The Reluctant Astronaut (1967), The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968), The Love God? (1969) and How to Frame a Figg (1971). After making How to Frame a Figg, Knotts's five-film contract with Universal finished. 

Knotts reprised his role as Barney Fife several times in the 1960s: he made five guest appearances on The Andy Griffith Show (gaining him another two Emmy Awards), and he later appeared once on the spin-off Mayberry R.F.D., where he was present as best man for the marriage of Andy Taylor and his longtime love, Helen Crump. He continued to work steadily, though he did not appear as a regular on any successful television series until in 1979 he got the part of landlord Ralph Furley on Three's Company for seasons 4 through 8, after the departure of Norman Fell, who had played the previous landlord. 

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Knotts served as the spokesman for Dodge trucks and was featured prominently in a series of print ads and dealer brochures. On television, he went on to host a variety show/sitcom hybrid on NBC, The Don Knotts Show, which aired Tuesdays during the fall of 1970, but the series was low-rated and short-lived, and Knotts was uncomfortable with the variety show format. He also made frequent guest appearances on other shows such as The Bill Cosby Show and Here's Lucy. In 1970, he appeared as a Barney Fife-like police officer in the pilot of The New Andy Griffith Show. In 1972, Knotts voiced an animated version of himself in two episodes of The New Scooby Doo Movies: "The Spooky Fog of Juneberry", in which he played a lawman resembling Barney Fife, and "Guess Who's Knott Coming to Dinner". He appeared as Felix Unger in a stage version of Neil Simon's The Odd Couple, with Art Carney as Oscar Madison, and toured in the Neil Simon comedy Last of the Red Hot Lovers.

Beginning in 1975, Knotts was teamed with Tim Conway in a series of slapstick films aimed at children, including the Disney film The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975) and its sequel, The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979). They also did two independent films, the boxing comedy The Prize Fighter (1979), and the mystery-comedy The Private Eyes (1980). Knotts co-starred in several other Disney films, including Gus (1976), No Deposit, No Return (1976), Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977) and Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978).

Three's Company 
In 1979, Knotts returned to series television in his second most identifiable role, the wacky but lovable landlord Ralph Furley on Three's Company. The series, which was already an established hit, added Knotts to the cast when the original landlords, Stanley and Helen Roper (a married couple played by Norman Fell and Audra Lindley, respectively) left the series to star in their own short-lived spin-off series The Ropers.

On set, Knotts easily integrated himself into the already established cast who were, as John Ritter put it, "so scared" of Knotts because of his star status when he joined the cast. When Suzanne Somers left the show after a contract dispute in 1981, the writers started giving the material meant for Somers's Chrissy to Knotts's Furley. Knotts remained on the series until it ended in 1984. The Three's Company script supervisor, Carol Summers, became Knotts' agent and often accompanied him to personal appearances.

Later years 
In 1986, Don Knotts reunited with Andy Griffith in the made-for-television film Return to Mayberry, reprising his Barney Fife role. In early 1987, Knotts joined the cast of the first-run syndication comedy What a Country!, playing Principal Bud McPherson for the series' remaining 13 episodes. The sitcom was produced by Martin Rips and Joseph Staretski, who had previously worked on Three's Company.

In 1988, Knotts joined Andy Griffith in another show, playing the recurring role of pesky neighbor Les Calhoun on Matlock until 1992.

After that, Knotts's roles were sporadic, including a cameo appearance in the film Big Bully (1996) as the principal of the high school. In 1998, Knotts played a small but pivotal role as a mysterious TV repairman in Pleasantville. That year, his hometown of Morgantown, West Virginia, changed the name of the street formerly known as South University Avenue (U.S. Route 119) to Don Knotts Boulevard on "Don Knotts Day". Also that day, in honor of Knotts's role as Barney Fife, he was named an honorary deputy sheriff with the Monongalia County Sheriff's Department.

Knotts was recognized in 2000 with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He continued to act on stage, but much of his film and television work after 2000 was as voice talent. In 2002, he appeared again with Scooby-Doo in the video game Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights. (Knotts also spoofed his appearances on that show in various promotions for Cartoon Network and in a parody on Robot Chicken, where he was teamed with Phyllis Diller.) In 2003, Knotts teamed up with Tim Conway again to provide voices for the direct-to-video children's series Hermie and Friends, which continued until his death. In 2005, he was the voice of Mayor Turkey Lurkey in Chicken Little (2005), his first Disney movie since 1979. On September 12, 2003, Knotts was in Kansas City in a stage version of On Golden Pond when he received a call from John Ritter's family telling him that his former Three's Company co-star had died of an aortic dissection that day. Knotts and his co-stars attended the funeral four days later. Knotts had appeared with Ritter one final time in a cameo on 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter. It was an episode that paid homage to their earlier television series. Knotts was the last Three's Company star to work with Ritter.

During this period of time, macular degeneration in both eyes caused the otherwise robust Knotts to become virtually blind. His live appearances on television were few. In 2005, Knotts parodied his Ralph Furley character while playing a Paul Young variation in a Desperate Housewives sketch on The 3rd Annual TV Land Awards. He parodied that part one final time in "Stone Cold Crazy", an episode of the sitcom That '70s Show. In the show, Knotts played Fez and Jackie's new landlord. This was his last live-action television appearance. His final role was in Air Buddies (2006), a direct-to-video sequel to Air Bud, voicing the sheriff's deputy dog, Sniffer.

Personal life 

Knotts's friend Al Checco said, "Don was somewhat of a ladies' man. He fancied himself something of a Frank Sinatra. The ladies loved him and he dated quite a bit." Knotts was married three times. His marriage to Kathryn Metz lasted from 1947 until their divorce in 1964, and he raised his daughter as a single parent. He married Loralee Czuchna in 1974 and they divorced in 1983. His third marriage was to Frances Yarborough, from 2002 until his death in 2006. From his first marriage, Knotts had a son, Thomas Knotts, and a daughter, actress Karen Knotts (born April 2, 1954).

Knotts struggled with hypochondria and macular degeneration. Betty Lynn, one of Knotts' co-stars on The Andy Griffith Show, described him as a "very quiet man. Very sweet. Nothing like Barney Fife."  TV writer Mark Evanier called him "the most beloved person in all of show business".

Death 

Knotts died at age 81 on February 24, 2006, at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from pulmonary and respiratory complications of pneumonia related to lung cancer. He had been undergoing treatment at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in the months before his death, but he returned home after he had reportedly been feeling better. He was buried at Westwood Memorial Park in Los Angeles.

Knotts' obituaries cited him as a major influence on other entertainers. In early 2011, his grave's plain granite headstone was replaced with a bronze plaque that displays several of Knotts' movie and television roles. A statue honoring Knotts, created by Jamie Lester, was unveiled on July 23, 2016, in front of The Metropolitan Theatre on High Street in his hometown of Morgantown, West Virginia.

Filmography

Film 

 No Time for Sergeants (1958) as Cpl. John C. Brown
 Wake Me When It's Over (1960) as Sgt. Percy Warren
 The Last Time I Saw Archie (1961) as Captain Harry Little
 It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963) as the nervous motorist
 Move Over, Darling (1963) as Shoe Clerk
 The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964) as Henry Limpet
 The Ghost and Mr. Chicken (1966) as  Luther Heggs
 The Reluctant Astronaut (1967) as Roy Fleming
 The Shakiest Gun in the West (1968) as Dr. Jesse W. Heywood
 The Love God? (1969) as Abner Audubon Peacock IV
 How to Frame a Figg (1971) as Hollis Alexander Figg
 The Apple Dumpling Gang (1975) as Theodore Ogelvie
 No Deposit, No Return (1976) as Bert Delaney
 Gus (1976) as Coach Venner
 Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo (1977) as Wheely Applegate
 Mule Feathers (1978) as Narrator / The Mule (voice)
 Hot Lead and Cold Feet (1978) as Sheriff Denver Kid
 The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again (1979) as Theodore Ogelvie
 The Prize Fighter (1979) as Shake
 The Private Eyes (1980) as Inspector Winship
 Cannonball Run II (1984) as CHP Officer #2
 Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night (1987) as Gee Willikers (voice)
 Big Bully (1996) as Principal Kokelar
 Cats Don't Dance (1997) as T.W. Turtle (voice)
 Pleasantville (1998) as TV Repairman
 Tom Sawyer (2000) as Mutt Potter (voice)
 Quints (2000) as Governor Healy
 Chicken Little (2005) as Mayor Turkey Lurkey (voice)
 Air Buddies (2006) as Sniffer (voice; final film role, posthumous release)

Television 

 Search for Tomorrow (1953–1955) as Wilbur Peterson
 The Steve Allen Show (1956–1960) as Himself
 The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1960) as Esmond Metzger
 The Andy Griffith Show (1960–1968) as Barney Fife
 The Joey Bishop Show (1 episode 1964) as Barney Fife
 The Red Skelton Show (1961–1965) as Commodore of Lagoons / 'Steady Fingers' Ferguson / Horaces Horatio / Mr. Pallid / Herbie
 The New Steve Allen Show (1961–1963) as Regular
 The Garry Moore Show (4 episodes 1962–1964) as Himself
 McHale's Navy (Season 4, Episode 25) as Lt. Pratt
 The Jerry Lewis Show (1 episode 1963) as Himself
 38th Academy Awards (1966) as Himself (co-presenter)
 The Don Knotts Special (1967) as Himself (host/performer)
 The Hollywood Palace (1 episode #7.17 1970) as Himself
 The Don Knotts Show (1970–1971) as Himself (host)
 Don Knotts' Nice Clean, Decent, Wholesome Hour (1970) as Himself (host/performer)
 The New Scooby-Doo Movies (2 episodes 1972) as Himself (voice)
 The Man Who Came to Dinner (1972) as Dr. Bradley
 The Flip Wilson Show (1972–73) (2 episodes) as Himself
 Dinah Shore: In Search of the Ideal Man (1973) as Himself
 I Love a Mystery (1973) as Alexander Archer
 Here's Lucy (1973) (1 episode) as Ben Fletcher
 Hollywood Squares (4 episodes, 1974–1977) as Himself – Panelist
 Steve Allen's Laugh Back (1975)
 The Captain & Tennille Show (1976–1977) as Himself (recurring guest)
 The Muppet Show (1977) as Himself – Special Guest Star
 Fantasy Island (1978–1979) as Felix Birdsong / Stanley Scheckter
 The Love Boat (1979) as Herb Grobecker / Devon King
 Three's Company (1979–1984) as Ralph Furley
 George Burns Comedy Week (1985) as Himself
 Return to Mayberry (1986) as Barney Fife
 What a Country! (1987) as F. Jerry 'Bud' McPherson
 The Little Troll Prince (1987) as Professor Nidaros (voice)
 Matlock (1987–1992) as Les Calhoun
 Newhart (1 episode 1990) as Iron
 Timmy's Gift: A Precious Moments Christmas (1991) as Titus (voice)
 The Andy Griffith Show Reunion (1993) as Himself
 Burke's Law (1 episode 1994)
 Step by Step (1993) (1 episode) as Deputy Feif
 101 Dalmatians: The Series (2 episodes, 1997–1998) as Additional Voices (voice)
 E! True Hollywood Story (1 episode 1998) as Himself
 Late Night with Conan O'Brien (1 episode 1999) as Himself
 Jingle Bells (1999) as Kris (voice)
 Inside TV Land: The Andy Griffith Show (2000) as Himself
 Biography TV Documentary (2 episodes 2000–2002) as Himself
 Biography: "John Ritter: In Good Company" (2002) as Himself
 Inside TV Land: Cops on Camera (2002) as Himself
 Odd Job Jack (2003) as Dirk Douglas
 8 Simple Rules (2003) as Himself
 Larry King Live (1 episode 2003) as Himself
 The Andy Griffith Show: Back To Mayberry (2003) as Himself/Barney Fife
 TV Lands Top Ten (2004) (1 episode) as Himself
 Johnny Bravo (cartoon series), episode "Johnny Makeover" (2004) as Don Knotts (voice)
 That '70s Show (2005) as The Landlord
 Las Vegas (2005) as Himself
 The 3rd Annual TV Land Awards (2005) as Paul Young (segment "Desperate Classic Housewives")
 Robot Chicken as Himself
 Hatching Chicken Little (2006) as Himself
 CMT: The Greatest – 20 Greatest Country Comedy Shows (2006) as Himself

Video games 
 Scooby-Doo! Night of 100 Frights (2002) as The Groundskeeper

Animation videos 
 Hermie and Friends (2003–06) as Wormie

Awards

References

Further reading 
 
 
 
 
 
 Klin, Richard. "Fife and Drum". Flagpole, 2006.

External links 

 
 
 
 
 The West Virginia & Regional History Center has a collection of materials related to the career or Don Knotts

20th-century American comedians
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United States Army personnel of World War II
American people of English descent
Burials at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery
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Morgantown High School alumni
Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Primetime Emmy Award winners
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"Mama" is a song by British electronic music group Clean Bandit featuring British singer Ellie Goulding, released as the sixth and final single from Clean Bandit's second album, What Is Love?, on 22 February 2019.

Music video
Clean Bandit also released the video on YouTube on 25 February 2019, after postponing its launch several times due to technical problems. The video stars a character who resembles Donald Trump, mocking his childhood to his adulthood when he is elected president. The band did not say whether the character is actually Trump but said they wrote a script about "a boy whose power was taken away from him as a child and he grew up determined to take that power back."

Track listing
Digital download – Tiësto's Big Room Remix
"Mama"  – 2:36

Digital download – Morgan Page Remix
"Mama"  – 2:57

Digital download – acoustic
"Mama"  – 3:06
"Mama" – 3:09

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

2018 songs
2019 singles
Clean Bandit songs
Ellie Goulding songs
Atlantic Records singles
Songs written by Grace Chatto
Songs written by Jack Patterson (Clean Bandit)
Songs written by Jason Evigan
Songs written by Ellie Goulding
Parodies of Donald Trump
Songs written by Caroline Ailin
Song recordings produced by Mark Ralph (record producer) "What They'll Say About Us" is a song by American singer-songwriter Finneas. It was released by OYOY as a single on September 2, 2020. The song was written and produced by Finneas. A lullaby-influenced ballad, the lyrics were inspired by the Black Lives Matter protests and Nick Cordero's death due to COVID-19. "What They'll Say About Us" was noted by music critics for its lyrical content. A music video for the song was released alongside the song and was directed by Sam Bennett in one take. It is the first single from his debut studio album Optimist.

Background and development
Finneas wrote and produced "What They'll Say About Us". It was inspired by the spark of Black Lives Matter protests after racial inequality in the United States and the death of Canadian actor Nick Cordero, who died at the age of 41 from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Finneas wrote the track in June 2020 while in quarantine. In an interview over Zoom with The Wall Street Journal, he said: "I wrote this song in June after spending the day at a protest in Downtown LA, filled with hope with the prospect that millions of people were coming together from all over the world to fight against institutionalized racism and inequality". He further stated: "The other component of the song was [that] I was very closely following Nick Cordero's story on Instagram, via his wife [Amanda Kloots], and Nick and his wife were not people I'd ever met. I don't know them at all. I saw the headlines about his health, just like everybody else did. I just became incredibly attached to this family that I’d never met before. I kind of wrote this song as if you were singing to your loved one who was in a hospital bed while the world was protesting outside. I did make a point to keep the song fairly ambiguous because I know everybody's sort of going through different circumstances of the same things right now".

Composition and lyrics
"What They'll Say About Us" begins "calmly and reassuringly": "You're tired now, lie down/I'll be waiting to give you the good news/It might take patience/And when you wake up, it won't be over/So don't you give up". However, as the beat and other instruments begin to arrive, the soundstage changes to be hazy. John Pareles, writing for The New York Times, says it "mortality begins to haunt the song, all the way to a devastating last line", noting the lyrics, "It might take patience/And if you don't wake up/I'll know you tried to/I wish you could see him/He looks just like you".

Reception
In a review for DIY magazine, the staff labeled "What They'll Say About Us" as "poignant" and an "ode to human strength". Writing for Billboard magazine, Jason Lipshutz said while the production on the track is "effectively restrained", people should credit Finneas for going "full-on showstopper when he draws out the line, 'We've got the time to take the world / And make it better than it ever was". Emily Tan of Spin magazine described the track as a song that "aims to offer comfort to those who have lost someone due to Covid-19".

Music video
A music video for "What They'll Say About Us" was released to Finneas' YouTube channel on September 2, 2020. The video was directed by Sam Bennett and shot in one take. In the visual, lights and rain swirl around Finneas as he sings and offers comfort to people who have lost someone they love from COVID-19. Spins Emily Yan described the visual as "simple" and "intimate".

Charts

References

2020s ballads
2020 singles
2020 songs
Song recordings produced by Finneas O'Connell
Songs written by Finneas O'Connell
Songs in memory of deceased persons
Finneas O'Connell songs